Where are the Americans?

By Sumner Spence | Aug 28, 2014

The US Open tennis tournament is in full swing. If you have high hopes for an American going deep into the tournament, especially on the men's side, good luck. Ever since Andy Roddick retired two years ago, American men's tennis has been a disappointment. I hope to see young hopefuls come on the circuit soon and catch up to the outstanding young women that are making their talent known. John Isner is the only American male with any kind of a chance to advance this year. He is currently ranked 13th in the US Open seeding, but he has a very hard time returning serves and plays very long matches. On the women's side, we rely way too much on the Williams sisters, who will be looking to retire eventually. But there are some good prospects with CC Bellis and Taylor Townsend. They are both just teenagers and even though Serena clobbered Taylor early, she is going to be worth following in the next couple of years. Bellis is only 15, and her poise and strength are a definite formula for US women hopefuls. I hope she continues to do well this weekend! There is tons of TV coverage on ESPN, The Tennis Channel, and CBS. I know I will be watching much of it over the next few days.

In the Little League World Series, the team from South Korea won their third championship. South Korea won their previous two titles back in 1984 and 1985. South Korea defeated the hot but streaky team from Chicago in the Mid West region. Chicago defeated Nevada Aug. 23 in the US championship game. Nevada was undefeated throughout the entire LLWS but couldn't get the final win they needed to advance. This year you saw a jump in TV viewers, mostly because of the team from Philadelphia and their female pitcher, Mo'ne Davis. It was great to see such a following, and watching Little League is so much fun because you just never know what's going to happen from one inning to the next. It will be interesting to see if the LLWS will get the same hype and attention next year. I certainly hope so!

I know it's way too late to have any real excitement about this, but the Phillies are actually having a good week. Hopefully saying this won't jinx them! They took two out of three games from the Seattle Mariners and then swept the first place Washington Nationals in a three-game series. The sad thing is, it's just too late in the season for the Phillies to make a playoff push. Heartbreak comes with the love of any professional sports team when you are a loyal fan. But there is always next year.

Have a great Labor Day weekend everyone. It's just impossible to think that September is here and summer is over already! We can only hope that this great weather lasts 'til Thanksgiving!

A 2002 Cape grad and 2007 UD grad, Lewes resident Sumner Spence is one of the Cape area's biggest sports fans. Wheelchair-bound his entire life, he has lived vicariously through his sports-playing father, brother, and friends, who gave him his love of sports. He hopes to provide new and interesting perspectives on the sports stories and issues of the day. Email Sumner at sumspence@gmail.com.